6th annual Wing Ding grills up competition to raise funds

What’s better than $5 all-you-can-eat chicken wings on the front lawn of City Hall?

Not much, says Donnie Winningham — it’s a great Vestavia tradition, he said, and it’s a great deal.

“We’re going to have 20–25 booths of people cooking wings,” he said of the sixth annual Wing Ding, a wing challenge and festival set for May 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The festival began in 2011 as a project of a Leadership Vestavia Hills class. Last year, 3,000 residents came out to enjoy the event, which includes live music, bounce houses and other activities like face painting and balloons. It will be in the circle at City Hall for the second year in a row.

“There will be plenty of room to hang out on the lawn, so bring blankets, sit down, eat some good food and enjoy the music,” Winningham said, who serves with Leadership Vestavia Hills, which puts on the Wing Ding challenge each year. “It’s a good environment and a fun time.”

The event again will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. More than $10,000 was raised at last year’s Wing Ding. The event’s main sponsor this year is Alagasco.

For more information, go to leadershipvestaviahills.com or the Vestavia Wing Ding Facebook page.